Wilflelm seck



w-.. S'EGK.

Grain Decnrticators.

No. 166,416. Patented Aufg.3,1&75.

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N.FETERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAFHEH. wAsnmmOK, D c,

VILHELM SECK, OF BOGKENHEIM, PRUSSIA.v

IMPROVEIVlENl IN GRAIN-DECORTICATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 166.416, dated August3, 1875; application filed May 4, 1875.

To all whom it may concern: Y

Bc' it known that I, WILHELM SECK, of Bockenheim, in the Kingdom ofPrussia, have invented certain Improvements in Decorticators; and I dohereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, whichforms part of this specication.

My invent-ion consists in a novel construe tion and combination of aseries of stationary annular radially-fluted plates and a series ofrevolving tangentially-uted disks, whereby the centrifugal force is, ina measure, overcome, and a ccntripetal motion is imparted to the grain,and the decorticatin g and lcleaning operation is performed in athorough manner during the passage of the grain from the peripherytoward the center.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure l is a central vertical sectionalview of a machine constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is atransverse horizontal section taken in the lineman of Fig. l. Fig. 3 isa bottom View of one of the revolving disks.

A represents one of a series of standards or columns, preferably of Tshape in cross-section, connected at top and bottom by crossbarsBl B2. Cis a vertical shaft, having its bearings in the upper and lowercross-bars Bl B2, and provided with a pulley, c, for driving it by meansof a belt. D represents an annular cast-metal plate, the periphery ofwhich is provided with lugs cl, having holes or notches, which enga-gewith hooks or lugs. a on the standards A, by which means the ringis heldin place. Any desired number of these annular plates are thus placed inposition, and the intermediate spaces between them are filled by bands Eof sheet metal, having their ends secured together by screws e, or inany other suitable manner, and having perforations in their ent-iresurface, or a portion thereof, the portion which is not perforated beingcorrugated in a vertical direction. The upper surface of each of theannular plates D is inclined upward toward the periphery, and is groovedor tinted in a radial direction, the ex; treme outer edge of the iiutedportion assuming a nearly vertical direction. G isa castmetal plate ordisk, secured to the vertical shaft C by screws, keys, or any othersuitable means, so as to turn with said shaft. A number of these disks Gare thus attached to the shaft, corresponding with the number of annularplates D, and are. arranged thereon so as to revolve above the annularplates at a distance sufficient to allow two or more layers of grain inthe space la, between the upper surface of the annular plate and thelower surface of the disk. The plates Gare formed with openings betweentheir center and circumference, which openings are covered withwire-gauze, forming sieves 2-. On the upper side of each of the plates Gare wings g, cast with the plate, corresponding in number with thenumber of openings covered bythe screens 7L, and occupying positionsbetween said openings, extending from the hub or center of the platetoward the circumference in the directions tangential to the hub orcenter. At the outer edges of the annular plates D are shoulders orrabbets z', in which fit the upper and lower edges of the sheet-metalbands E. When. the parts are in place the bands and the outer edges ofthe plates D fit closely to each other,

andform a cylindrical surface. A portion of the band E' is perforated toform a sieve, and the other portion may be corrugated in a verticaldirection, as shown.

The apparatus is provided with a hopper, K1, for feeding the grainthereto, and with a spout, K2, tor delivering it therefrom. Thelowermost plate or disk G carries a number of downwardly-extendingwings, L, on its under side, and the bottom plate p of the apparatus' isarranged a sufficient distance below the lowermost plate D to allow thewings L to move freely as the disk G revolves. v

The operation is as follows: The shaft C being in motion at a velocityof from two hundred and fifty to three hundred revolutions per minute,the grain is fed in through the hopper K1, from whence it falls upon theupper side of the tirst disk G. It is then, by the centrifugal force,aided by the win gs g, thrown outward against the cylindrical sieve orband J, until it becomes so heaped up that a portion falls by its ownweight into the space m, between ,the stationary annular plate D andrevolving disk or plate G, to a depth of twoor more layers. As the shaftC revolves, the tangentially-tluted disk G has a tendency to carry withit the grain in the uppermost layer, and the radially-iuted stationaryannular plate D has a tendency to retard the grain in the lowermostlayer, while the grain lying between these two layers is subjected to amotion somewhat resembling that of rubbing a quantity of grain betweenthe hands. During this process a portion of the grain is carried towardthe center, and falls upon the top of the second revolving plate or diskG, is again thrown outward by centrifugal force, and again falls intothe space m, between the second 1 disk and the second annular plate, andgoes through the rubbing operation before described, which operation iscontinued until the grain reaches the lowest one of the annular plates,from which it falls to the bottom p, and is swept by the wings L intothe spout K2, through which it passes to a receptacle below. As thegrain passes through the apparatus the draft or current of air caused bythe revolution of the disks and their attached wings passes upwardthrough the sieves h, and circulates through the grain,passingoutthrough the perforated band or cylindrical sieve J, and carrying with ital1 dust, dirt, and impurities, and depositing the same outside of theapparatus. By this process the grain is thoroughly decorticated, anddeposited in a perfectly clean condition after passing through theapparatus, and the impurities are entirely separated and carried away.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-l Theannular plates D, having a horizontal radially-tinted surface, incombination with the horizontally-fiuted revolving disks G, havingopenings between their center and periph` ery, and provided with sievesh, arranged in said openings, and extending from the center of the diskstoward its circumference, all substantially as and for the object shownand described.

' WILHELM SEOK.

Witnesses:

PETER BARTHEL, Louis BASSE.

